Unattainable
by OctobersRequiem
Summary: What do you do when the one thing you want most is literally unattainable? When you can't reach out and touch it? When the entire world is conspiring to keep you apart, but fate is fighting to bring you together? NaruSasuNaru
1. Mirror, Mirror

**A/N - This was originally supposed to be a one shot, but it spiraled wildly out of control and morphed into something completely different from my original idea. It won't be more than four or five chapters though. It may take some time for them to be up, as I'm writing it at my own pace. It's un'betad so excuse any spelling or grammatical errors.**

**Reviews aren't necessary but always enjoyed...since I'm a compliment whore. ^.^**

** Enjoy.**

* * *

Naruto was exhausted. Between work, school, and his social life, he hadn't slept for more than a few hours over the last four days. He ran his hands through his hair and heaved a frustrated sigh. The homework on his desk sat unfinished, and probably would stay that way for the remainder of the night. He couldn't really afford to fail another class, but he couldn't concentrate.

Deciding to take a break, he got up and went to the kitchen, grabbing a soda from the fridge. The clock on the wall said it was a little after two in the morning. He had class early the next day and knew if he passed out now, he would sleep right through it.

He plopped down on the couch and turned on the television, absentmindedly flipping through the channels.

He blamed his current plight on Kiba and Shino. It was their fault he'd spent the last four nights playing video games instead of studying – or preferably – sleeping. He'd known it was going to be bad from the second Kiba called and said he'd bought a new game, but resisting temptation was never Naruto's forte.

He rubbed his hands over his eyes in an attempt to push the feeling of sleep away. Sitting down on a comfortable couch probably wasn't the best way to stay awake. With another sigh, he got up and stalked back into his room, grabbing a towel before heading for a shower.

He flipped the switch and watched his small bathroom flood with light. The way it illuminated the bright blue walls made it look more yellow than it usually would. He strained his eyes. Artificial light always gave him a head ache. He preferred the sun.

The tiles were cold on his feet, but he ignored it. The shower he was about to take would be colder. Hot water only ever succeeded in putting him to sleep.

He turned the shower on, twisting the knob so that only cold water came out. He added a little bit of hot water, because his shower was literally like ice and he figured getting pneumonia or something would be bad.

He held himself rigid against the cold water as it pounded into his back, washing his hair and body as fast as he could manage. Cold water wasn't really soothing in the middle of winter. Eventually, he caved and applied more heat to it. The water heated up rapidly and he relaxed against it, watching steam roll off his tired muscles.

Ten minutes later, he stepped out of the shower and wrapped his towel around his waist. It felt like he'd been in there for hours. He hated the way sleep deprivation messed with his sense of time, always slowing it down.

He ran a hand across the mirror, wiping away the condensation that had built up. He was right, the warmth really had made him sleepy. He felt like a ten pound weight was sitting on each of his eyes, pushing them back into his skull in a way that made him nauseous. He grabbed his tooth brush and a put a rather large amount of toothpaste on it.

His night time routine was deeply ingrained into him by now, so he allowed his mind to wander. All it seemed to think about was sleep. He bent down to spit the toothpaste that had started foaming in his mouth into the sink when something in the mirror caught his eye.

It was another set of eyes.

He gaped at the mirror in astonishment as he took in the image before him. Eyes as black as pitch stared back at him, slightly wide with surprise. The eyes were set in a face so striking that it nearly knocked the breath out of him.

Was he hallucinating?

The boy in the mirror was almost petite looking. He wore no shirt which accentuated the lean muscles in his chest, and raven colored hair framed his face. He had a stick of deodorant in his hand, which was suspended in midair, as if frozen. His lips were parted slightly, and he had a look of wonderment on his face.

Naruto backpedaled, convinced that this couldn't possibly be real. It wasn't the smartest thing to do considering the floor was slippery. He fell backward into the tub, entangling with shower curtain. He flailed around miserably until he finally managed to free himself. Panting a little, he stood up, a hand going to the back of his head which had collided with the wall.

In all of his panic, the towel had slipped from his waist. Naruto watched as the boy in the mirrors eyes lowered, taking in the sight of his nudity. He hurriedly picked up his towel, wrapping it around his waist as a flush crept up his cheeks.

The boys lips curved upward in a smirk as he met Naruto's eyes again. Then, he spoke, his voice sounded amused and Naruto couldn't help but notice how soft it was, like he was rolling around in velvet.

"_Dobe._"

* * *

Naruto wrenched open the door to his apartment and stormed inside. He had been late for class that morning. His teacher had kept him behind to tell him if he skipped one more time he'd fail. Naruto had to resist the urge to sock the pompous man in the face.

All this was the fault of that damned hallucination. Because Naruto knew that was what it was, it had to be. That was the only explanation. His sleep-deprived brain had kicked into some kind of overdrive, that was all. So, in light of it, Naruto had decided that passing out was his best option. He would rather be late to class than have extremely detailed hallucinations insulting him.

Or so he'd thought. He wasn't so sure now. He was so behind in school that he didn't even think he would be able to catch up now. Which meant that all of the work he'd done in high school, all the hours he'd put in at his second-rate job for tuition would be for nothing.

Yeah, that was a little infuriating.

Naruto threw his bag on the couch and stormed into the bathroom, too emotional to feel stupid. He turned the light on and turned to the mirror, not expecting much of anything, but figuring that maybe punching it would release some of his frustration.

But the boy was still there.

Or back? He didn't look like he did last time Naruto had seen him. He wore a black t-shirt that was a bit too big for him, hanging loosely over his small frame. Naruto gaped.

Last night, he had left the bathroom so fast he hadn't even bothered to shut the light off. He'd thrown himself into his bed, figuring sleep would fix the problem. And since the boy hadn't been there this morning, Naruto had assumed it had.

But the boy was there now, staring back at him with cold eyes. They weren't surprised this time, they were almost empty looking. Naruto watched them narrow into a glare, which caused his anger to act up again. It had been overtaken by surprise, but the look on the boys face made it come rushing back.

"You _bastard_!" He yelled into the mirror, pointing an accusing finger at the boy. "I was late to class because of you and now I'm probably going to fail! What the hell are you doing in my mirror?!"

Naruto vaguely considered the possibility that he had gone insane, before pushing it to the back of his mind. If he had gone insane, then there was nothing wrong with yelling at a figment of his imagination.

"How is it my fault that you're an idiot?" The boy asked, condescension clear in his voice. "And _you _are the one in _my _mirror."

Naruto snorted at that.

"How can I be in your mirror when you're my hallucination?"

"Well the obvious answer would be that you're not hallucinating, _dobe_." The boy had been holding a toothbrush in his hand, but he lowered it and leaned forward, presumably putting it away.

"What do you mean I'm not hallucinating?" Naruto demanded as the boys face came back into view. Naruto watched him roll his neck from side to side, causing it to pop. "How can this not be a hallucination? Generally when people look in the mirror they see their reflections, not scrawny dudes with emo haircuts."

The boy snorted. "My hair isn't emo, you idiot. And in case you haven't noticed..." The boy shifted out of the way of the mirror, giving Naruto a view of the room behind him.

It was set up exactly like his bathroom, only white instead of blue.

"Er..." Naruto's brow furrowed as he took in the sight. "And what is that supposed to mean?" He asked, not entirely getting the point.

The boy in the mirror rolled his eyes. "You really are an idiot." He muttered. Naruto opened his mouth to counter the insult but the boy held up his hand. "Before you interrupt, I'll do you a favor and explain."

Naruto took a few steps forward, his hands gripping the sink. The boy was much more striking up close. It was like he had an aura that demanded respect and refused to be ignored.

"We have the same bathroom, in different colors. I'm willing to bet the layout of your apartment is exactly the same as mine as well."

Naruto blinked in confusion. This really wasn't much of an explanation. The boy continued. "The living room is decent sized and there's a kitchenette in the left corner. The bedroom door is right next to the bathroom door, and there is a linen closet on the other side of that. There is only one bedroom in the apartment and it has a large window. We're on the fourth floor of this building and I'd be willing to bet your apartment number is 3B."

Naruto nodded, dumbfounded.

"Exactly like I thought." The boy muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"What's like you thought?" Naruto demanded, "I don't get it."

"_You _wouldn't."

Naruto grit his teeth and clenched his hands tighter on the sink. "Do you have to be so damn insulting?"

"I don't think being honest is insulting." The boy crossed his arms. "And since you're incapable of figuring it out yourself, I guess I'll just have to tell you."

Naruto frowned. This was the most annoying guy he had ever met. Or would it be hallucination? It was the only hallucination he had ever met, and it wasn't leaving the best impression.

"We're in alternate dimensions." The boy deadpanned.

Naruto's jaw dropped.

"Excuse me?" He asked, convinced he must have heard wrong. The boy huffed in annoyance and glared at him.

"You and I are in the same building, on the same floor, in the same room. I _know _I'm not hallucinating, which means you aren't either. The only plausible explanation is that this mirror is a link between your dimension and mine."

Naruto was pretty sure his hallucination was crazy.

"That's impossible." He pointed out. "Alternate dimensions don't exist. At least, there isn't any proof that they do."

"Maybe there. Here, they're not all that uncommon. Your dimension must be behind ours." The boy's tone was thoughtful.

Naruto blinked a few times, trying to get a grasp on the idea. Either he was clinically insane or the boy in his _mirror_ was right. Sounded like insanity to him no matter which way he looked at it. "So you're telling me my bathroom mirror links to an alternate dimension?"

"Obviously."

Naruto nodded, not really convinced. "Okay..." He took a deep breath and tried to steady his train of thought, which was zooming in about five hundred different directions. "So...what, you're just gonna keep showing up in my mirror?"

"Pretty much." The boy said, and his tone was less than pleased. "There are ways to move the link to a different location, but it'll take a while to even get a hold of anyone capable of doing that."

Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Right. Well, if you're gonna keep showing up, couldn't you at least knock or something? What if I'm doing something private."

The boy snorted. Naruto glared at him.

"I don't really think there is a _way _ to knock, so you're going to have to get used to it."

"Great." Naruto muttered. "That's just great. I have a dude who's stalking me through my mirror. Awesome."

"I'm hardly stalking you. And in case you hadn't noticed, that goes both ways. You see me as much as I see you, much to my dismay."

"You know, you're kind of an ass." Naruto stated bluntly, not caring if it offended the guy or not.

"And you're an idiot." The boy shot back.

Naruto clenched his jaw, biting back the retort that was trying to claw it's way out of his mouth. He took a few steadying breaths and decided to try and change his approach.

"So...what's your name?" He asked. He figured he had the right to know the name of the person who would constantly be invading his privacy. The boy seemed to agree, since he answered.

"Sasuke." He said shortly. "Uchiha Sasuke. And yours?"

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Hn." Naruto marveled at how the boy – Sasuke – could make one syllable sound so insulting.

"What?" Naruto demanded.

"You're name is as stupid as you are." Sasuke told him. Naruto glowered at him.

"Yeah, well, whatever." He said, ignoring the smirk on Sasuke's face. "How about you leave me alone and I'll leave you alone?"

"I had no intention of speaking to you in the first place." Sasuke said, his tone dismissive. Naruto scowled at him.

"Whatever." He said, flicking the light off as he marched out of the bathroom. He was seriously considering moving into a new apartment.

* * *

Sasuke was annoyed. Which wasn't surprising, really, since he spent most of his time annoyed. But he was more annoyed than usually and that irritated him all the more. He looked up from his sandwich to see Neji staring at him with interest.

"What?" He snapped, not bothering to keep his voice neutral as he usually would. Neji's eyebrows lifted at the tone in his voice.

"I'm just curious to know what's going on. You're being more abrasive than usual."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Neji, his annoyance rising several notches. "And how is what's going on with me any of your business?"

Neji shrugged. "It's not. I was just wondering." Sasuke paused briefly, considering whether or not he'd hurt Neji's feelings. The brunette stared back at him with eyes that showed no hurt, irritation, yes, but no hurt. He should have figured as much, Neji was almost as cold as Sasuke himself.

"Is it your brother?" Neji asked, sounding bored. Sasuke grit his teeth at the personal question.

"No." He bit out. Neji stared at him for a minute before shrugging again and turning to greet Shikamaru who had just joined them at their table. Sasuke fought the urge to get up and walk away.

No, the source of his annoyance was not his overbearing, heartless brother for once. It was something much worse than that.

Every time Sasuke went to take a shower, the blonde was there. Every time he went to brush his teeth, the blonde was there. Every time he applied gel to his hair in the mornings, the blonde was _there_. Gawking with that stupid expression of his.

Sasuke had assumed he knew what to expect when he discovered that his bathroom mirror linked to another dimension – really, his _mirror, _of all things – but apparently he had miscalculated. He hadn't expected to that idiot staring at him every time he walked into his own bathroom, completely invading his privacy.

Sasuke was beginning to wonder if it was some cruel joke of fate that they were always in the bathroom at the same time. Honestly, what were the chances? He was beginning to wonder if the blonde was doing it on purpose. Just standing there for hours on end waiting for him to come in, so he could gawk and glare and annoy Sasuke to no end.

And why was there a link to another dimension in _his _house in the first place? Out of all the places it could have been, it ended up in his apartment. Maybe he was just cursed.

Sasuke glanced up from his sandwich to find both Neji and Shikamaru staring at him. He narrowed his eyes. "What?" He practically hissed.

"We asked if you were going to go on that date with Sakura. She seems to think you are." Shikamaru told him, his tone bland. Neji's eyes were regarding Sasuke curiously, their pale colors looked like a whirlpool when he wore such a contemplative look. Sasuke shifted in his chair. He didn't like it when Neji looked at him like that, like he could see through him.

No one could see through him.

"I don't remember ever agreeing to go on a date with Sakura." He told them. Shikamaru nodded and then let out a long yawn before mumbling something about figuring that was the case.

Neji was still staring at him.

"Sasuke..." His voice was tentative. Sasuke shot Neji his best glare. Just the right mixture of implied death and pain. Neji held up his hands in surrender then shook his head at Sasuke.

"I'm going to class." Sasuke picked up his tray and stalked away from them. He didn't like having such observant friends. Shikamaru may not have been upfront about it, but nothing ever got past him, so Sasuke was pretty sure he'd have to deal with that eventually. At least Shikamaru wasn't so obvious about things like concern. Neji was generally downright blunt, not caring about whether he was invading personal space or not.

Sasuke wondered if he'd ever have any personal space again, what with a sun-kissed blonde boy hanging around his mirror all the time.

By the time Sasuke made it back to his apartment, he was too tired to be irritated. Classes that day had seemed longer than usual, he'd had a rather unpleasant call from Itachi and Sakura hadn't stopped hanging all over him for what seemed like hours.

It was just one of those days where nothing could get worse.

Sasuke flicked on his bedroom light and dropped his bag by the door before walking over and climbing on his bed. He was compelled to pull his covers over his head and leave them there for a week or so. He had no problems with ignoring the world.

His brothers face flashed through his mind and he grimaced. Itachi would have a lot to say if he missed classes, and Sasuke didn't want to hear any of it. He sighed, somehow annoyed again.

He had homework in his bag, but it wasn't due for a few days yet so he didn't feel the need to do it tonight. The only thing keeping him from going to sleep was the scent that had attached itself too him. Sakura's overly feminine perfume, the kind that tended to give people headaches. If Sasuke went to sleep, not only would he smell like that, his entire bed would.

But the idea of a shower made him grimace.

He was sure if he went into the bathroom, he'd encounter the blonde again, because that was just how his luck worked. He didn't know if he could deal with all the staring and stuttering again. He really should get in contact with the technicians in charge of relocating dimensional portals. It had seemed like too much effort to make a few days ago, but now he was desperate for them to come and get the damn thing out his house. It would take a month or two for his request to even near the top of their list, considering they got almost thousands a week. It would probably take longer than that, but he wasn't willing to admit that to himself.

With a groan, he pulled himself out of bed and walked to his bathroom. He hesitated slightly with his hand on the door knob, debating whether or not it was really worth it. Eventually, he sighed and walked in.

He started stripping off his clothes before he even glanced in the mirror. The water in the shower was running and he was down to his boxers by the time he chanced a quick look.

There was no one there.

He could see the darkness of the other bathroom, the outline of the tub and shower curtain, but there was no one there.

He breathed a sigh of relief before stepping out of his boxers and into the warm water of the shower. It was the first time he'd been able to shower in peace for a few days. A few was too many in his opinion.

He and the blonde – Naruto, he had called himself – had barely exchanged any words since their initial conversation. Other than a few stammered apologies on Naruto's part from catching Sasuke right before he was getting into the shower, which Sasuke didn't really count as conversation.

The water was just right temperature against his skin, a little more than lukewarm. Sasuke felt his muscles relax instinctively as he was hammered by the steady stream of water. Usually, his showers were rushed, but today he felt like taking his time.

He washed and conditioned his hair slowly, his mind wandering to the assignment that was still sitting in his bag. It wasn't like him to put homework off, but at the moment he couldn't bring himself to do it.

When he was finally satisfied with his state of cleanliness, he shut the water off and grabbed his towel, wrapping it around himself before stepping out of the shower. The mirror was still dark as he bundled up his clothes. Maybe the world didn't hate him after all.

But just as the thought crossed his mind, light flooded the other side of the mirror. He fought the urge to groan as Naruto walked into his view. He really didn't want to deal with the awkwardness right now.

Sasuke was startled out of his brooding when the view from his mirror changed. Naruto had opened it to get to the medicine cabinet, so he was now seeing the wall to right. The cabinet closed with a loud _bang _and Naruto held an orange bottle of pills in his hands. He didn't even glance at Sasuke before storming out, leaving the light on.

Sasuke huffed. The least Naruto could do was have some decency and acknowledge his prescience. The memory of them agreeing to leave each other alone floated to the front of his mind but he pushed it back, he'd rather be annoyed.

Sasuke tossed his clothes into the hamper and walked out of the bathroom, shutting the light off behind him. He pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms before collapsing into bed and pulling the covers up around himself like he'd wanted to earlier.

He fell unconscious almost immediately, but not before the look on Naruto's face crossed his mind. Sasuke vaguely wondered why the blonde had looked so troubled before he was swallowed by the black peace that was sleep.

* * *

Naruto fought the urge to punch Iruka in the face. The older man was standing in his living room with the orange bottle of medication Naruto had just retrieved from the bathroom in his hands. Naruto watched as he popped the top off and dumped the pills into his hands, already knowing the outcome of the conversation that wouldn't fail to follow.

"Naruto..." Iruka's voice wasn't angry – he hardly ever got angry – it was disappointed and tired. "How many times do we have to go through this?"

"Until they stop prescribing the pills." Naruto bit out through clenched teeth, his hands were balled into fists and tension visibly racked his body.

"You know that isn't going to happen." Iruka dumped the pills into the bottle and put the top back on. "It would be easier for all of us if you'd just take them like you're supposed to."

"I don't _want _to." Naruto nearly spat. "I don't like feeling like a zombie all the time. And besides I am _not _depressed."

Iruka almost snorted at this, but opted for a sigh instead. "The purpose of the Zoloft is to _help _your depression, not to make you feel like a zombie."

"Yeah, well, that's what it does."

Iruka sighed again. Naruto threw himself onto the couch. He could feel Iruka staring at him but chose to be defiant and stare at the coffee table instead. "Naruto, you do realize how lucky you are, don't you? Usually you would have been hospitalized at a facility for attempting suicide, or get sent to a therapist, but you got out of it with the promise to take this medication. You have to comply with that promise or you really will end up in a hospital."

Naruto closed his eyes and tilted his head back. Iruka's voice was growing impatient, and Naruto understood why. This would be the third time they'd had this conversation in the last month. Naruto wished everyone would just forget the fact that he'd overdosed and leave him the hell alone, but things rarely worked in his favor. He took a few calming breaths before opening his eyes to stare at the person who had been his guardian.

"Fine. I'll take them." He conceded. Iruka nodded and smiled at him, but it was a grim smile. They both new Naruto would comply for a few days – a week tops – and then they'd be having this conversation all over again. It was like being stuck in a time loop.

Iruka joined Naruto on the couch, having settled the argument. Naruto felt himself relax at the familiarity of being near Iruka. They'd lived apart for a year – since Naruto had turned nineteen – but that hadn't really changed how close they were.

"How's school?" Iruka asked. "Still getting in trouble like usual?"

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Oh yeah, tons." He said sarcastically, even though the statement was very true. He was in more trouble at school than he ever had been, but didn't find the need to disclose this fact.

"Well, at least all is right with the world." Iruka was amused, and that alone was enough to make Naruto smile.

"So, do you want to stay for dinner?" He asked the older man.

"What are we having? Top Ramen?"

"Don't be a smart ass." Naruto said, throwing the pillow his arm was propped on in Iruka's face.

* * *

"Dude, what's up with you?" Kiba asked, staring across the pool table at Naruto, who seemed to be lost in thought. "You're a lot quieter than usual."

Naruto shrugged and bit his lip. There was a lot up with him, not that he wanted to talk to Kiba about it. He'd been on his meds for two days and felt like crap, he kept having reoccurring dreams about his suicide attempt and he had a dimensional portal in his bathroom, that linked to an extremely attractive asshole.

Yeah, he could tell Kiba any of that. At least not without sounding crazy. So he just took a swig of his beer and leaned over to take his shot.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata was suddenly beside him, staring at him hesitantly. "Um...Gaara is looking for you. He's with Temari and Kankuro, they said they had something to talk to you about."

Naruto stared at her blankly for a few seconds before nodding. "Okay, where are they at?"

"Outside." She said, giving him a small smile. Naruto took another swig of his beer and then sat it down. Wouldn't do to drink right in front of a cop when he was under aged. He gave Hinata a broad grin and then headed out of the bar.

Gaara, Temari and Kankuro were leaning against the brick wall, their face illuminated by the flashing neon sides above their heads. Naruto noticed that Gaara looked particularly deadly in this light with his pale complexion and bruise rimmed eyes. That didn't stop him from grinning at the red head, though.

"Long time no see." He greeted, putting his hands behind his head and leaning it against them. "What brings you here?"

Temari looked at Gaara hesitantly before she opened her mouth to speak. Naruto noticed that Gaara was out of uniform for once. Kankuro was looking off down the street, seemingly uninterested. "We have a lead on Madara." Temari blurted.

"Tactful, Temari." Kankuro huffed, chancing a glance at Naruto who visibly tensed at the sudden information. Gaara's cool eyes had never left Naruto's face.

"Why after all this time?" Naruto asked, his voice sounded automatic. He was set on autopilot. His brain was still trying to get a grip on the fact that they had found a lead. He'd figured there were no leads left, his parents being dead for twelve years and all.

Naruto vividly remembered when Gaara told him that he was opening up the case on Naruto's parents' murders again. His face had been impassive as he looked at Naruto. Naruto had been consumed by a bout of rage and proceeded to trash his room. All he could remember thinking was '_Why can't anyone leave my ghosts where they belong? Dead!' _When he had finally come to his senses and talked to Gaara about it, he had been grateful that Gaara had even considered such an idea.

The case was kind of infamous at the Konoha Police department. His parents had been brutally murdered by a man named Madara who – for some reason – had left Naruto alive. Then he had escaped and no one had been able to find him since. The only reason they had a name to go off of was because Naruto remembered his father shouting it at the man just before the knife had landed in his side.

Naruto was grateful that Gaara had put so much time in trying to put his parents murder behind bars. Gaara was the best known cop around, but lately he had gone freelance, opting to work for himself as a detective. He also employed Temari and Kankuro.

"Have you ever heard of the Akatsuki?" Temari asked, when Naruto shook his head, she explained. "They're an underground criminal organization. There's this guy, Itachi, who's a part of it. He's directly related to Madara. He's the one who gave us the lead."

"Wait..." Naruto's brow furrowed. "Why would the guy's own family sell him out? Are you sure he isn't feeding you false information?"

"Positive." Temari said, giving him a small smile. "He seems to have bad blood with Madara, and wants him out of the way as soon as possible. Even if it means working with the law."

Gaara pushed himself away from the wall and stood up straight, his eyes trained on Naruto's face. Naruto vaguely wondered if Gaara was expecting him to lose it again. "We're going to take this chance and try to track him down. If all goes well, he'll behind bars within a month." Gaara's voice was toneless as he said this, but Naruto could sense the undercurrent of concern Gaara was emitting. "Then you can finally put this behind you."

Naruto nodded. His brain felt fogged, even more so than it had a few minutes ago. He wondered if it was his medication or just some form of shock causing it. He looked Gaara in the eye and gave a small smile. "Thanks for doing all this for me, Gaara"

Gaara merely grunted at this, before gesturing at the other two. They took the hint and followed him down the dark street. Naruto watched as they disappeared around the corner, wondering if feeling nothing at all was better than what he would have usually felt at this moment.

Naruto walked back into the bar to find Kiba eyeing him curiously. He briefly explained what Gaara had said to the other man, before ordering another beer.

* * *

"Woah, Naruto!" Kiba yelled as they almost toppled through Naruto's front door. Kiba's arm was supporting Naruto as best he could as he drug him inside and put him down on the couch. Naruto groaned. "Dude, you are _wasted_. I haven't seen you this drunk since that party last year where you almost fell off of Shino's roof."

Naruto looked at him with bleary vision. Kiba's dark wild hair was matted at the front and his jacket was torn. Naruto wondered how that had happened vaguely before a wave of nausea hit him. "I'll go get you a cold washcloth." Kiba said, heading for the bathroom.

Naruto was suddenly on his feet, struggling to retain his balance and not throw up. He grabbed Kiba's jacket in order to make him stop. Kiba couldn't go into the bathroom, his mind told him. He had a secret in the bathroom.

Naruto fought the urge to giggle. Yeah, he was definitely trashed.

"It's fine." Naruto slurred, "I gotta throw up anyways." Which was true enough, he thought, as another wave of nausea spurred him forward and into the bathroom. He was glad the light was already on, cause he was sure he would have missed the toilet otherwise.

The retching sounds he was making and the painful pounding in his head only seemed to make him more nauseas as he emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet. He had a solid grip on the edge of the white bowl – his knuckles going white – as he fought not to sob. He always seemed to cry while throwing up, much to his humiliation. It made him miss his mom, who would rub his back when he was little and stay there with him while sickness took it's course, then curl up in his bed with him and talk to him until he fell asleep.

This made him want to sob for an entirely different reason. Tears started streaming down his face with out his knowledge as he rested his head on the side of toilet, dropping his hand to the floor. He closed his eyes against the harsh light of the bare bulb on the ceiling and tried to focus on anything except for his throbbing head and knotting in his stomach.

"Oi."

Naruto bolted into sitting position, looking around wildly for the cause of the voice. He was alone in the bathroom, so it wasn't Kiba. He slowly turned his glance to the mirror. He could see Sasuke standing there – shirtless again – with the oddest expression on his face. Like he was torn between saying something or bolting away. Naruto fought the urge to groan.

"Are you alright?" Sasuke asked, much to Naruto's chagrin. It had been the last thing he'd expected to hear the other man say. It was just too..._nice_. "Dobe?"

Or not.

Naruto leaned back over the side of the toilet and laid his head down, pinching his eyes shut. "Go away." He moaned. He felt much more sober now, but still nauseas.

Sasuke snorted. "You can't order me out of my own bathroom." Naruto cracked and eye open to see Sasuke crossing his arms, glaring down at him. His mouth was tugged down at the corners and his brows drawn together, almost like he was pouting.

Naruto thought it was pretty cute. And then thought maybe he was still more drunk than he had assumed a minute previously.

"I'm not trying to order you out of your bathroom." Naruto told him, eyes closed again. "I'm trying to order you out of _mine_." His voice rose a couple notches. He felt extremely frustrated all of the sudden.

"Naruto?"

Naruto jumped and looked at the door. Kiba was standing there, his expression worried. Naruto glanced at the mirror to see that Sasuke was standing there with his mouth open in surprise at the new arrival. Kiba was facing Naruto, who was suddenly thankful that his mirror and toilet weren't on the same wall. The small bout of panic was coursing through him calmed, a very little bit.

"Were you talking to someone?" Kiba asked, brows furrowed.

"No." Naruto lied, wishing Sasuke would just walk away from his dumb mirror and stay gone. He didn't want to have to explain this situation to anyone, let alone Kiba, who would think it was _so awweeesome. _

"I thought I heard voices, though."

"Yeah, mine. Moaning and crying because I'm in here throwing up, which I'd rather do privately, if you don't mind." Naruto's voice came out a little harsher than intended and Kiba flinched.

"Okay, okay." Kiba said, turning around to walk away. But then he stopped and glanced back at Naruto. "I know you're upset about the thing with your parents." He said slowly, as if weighing his word carefully. "But don't think on it too much. Gaara will handle it. He'd never let you down, so stop being an ass. Nobody likes it when you're depressed. Least of all me."

Naruto opened his mouth to respond to this, but Kiba had already walked away, leaving Naruto alone to feel the awkward tension rise in the bathroom.

He didn't even bother looking at Sasuke, who he could feel was staring at him. He laid his head back down on the toilet, opting to ignore the world. Another wave of nausea rolled over him, but not as bad as the previous ones. He figured this one had more to do with nerves.

"Naruto?" Naruto looked up at the sound of his name, mildly surprised to hear Sasuke using it. "What....was he talking about?" Sasuke asked slowly. His expression was almost pained. As if asking such a personal question hurt him. It made Naruto want to laugh, in a weird, twisted way. "What did he mean about your parents?"

"What's it to _you_?" Naruto asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. He didn't like talking about his parents with anyone, and didn't really want to start now. Especially with the random guy in his mirror who was glaring at him. Again.

"Nothing. Just thought I'd ask." Sasuke's voice was toneless as he said this, which irritated Naruto. It was like Sasuke only had two tones, no tone, and arrogant.

"Well don't, okay?" Naruto watched in amusement as Sasuke bristled. He looked like he wanted to punch him, but much to Naruto's relief, that was physically impossible. Which just made it funny.

He busted up laughing.

"_What?_" Sasuke demanded.

"You're really fun to piss off, you know that?" Naruto managed to get out between giggles.

"Are you drunk?" Sasuke asked. Naruto noted that he was no longer glaring and had an almost curious expression on his face.

"Maybe." Naruto said as ambiguously as he could manage with the a big grin on his face. "Why does it matter to you?"

Sasuke's brows furrowed at his. "I don't know." He mumbled. His expression was torn again, as if he wanted to say something but didn't at the same time. Naruto sighed, the grin sliding off his face.

"My parents are dead, _teme_." He didn't know why he was telling Sasuke that. He had known Kiba since he started college and hadn't told him until a year after they'd met...which would mean that Kiba had found out about two months ago. And here he was just giving the information away to Sasuke.

Sasuke, if possible, looked stunned. His mouth was half open in surprise and his eyes a little wider than usual. "Oh." He managed to grunt out, trying to recover his dignity a bit.

"Yep."

"So...that other guy-" Sasuke started, but Naruto cut him off.

"Kiba." Sasuke looked annoyed at being interrupted.

"Okay, so Kiba, what did he mean before? About dealing with the thing with your parents? And that Gaara guy taking care of it?"

Naruto sighed and scrunched his eyes close for a second, before resigning himself to the fact that he'd have to explain this now. With a moan of displeasure, he pushed up on the toilet and got unsteadily to his feet. He'd rather be on eye level with Sasuke, so the bastard couldn't look down on him in more ways than one.

"Gaara is a cop." He explained, "And he's currently trying to track down my parents murderer." That was explanation enough in Naruto's opinion. He wasn't gonna say another word about it.

Sasuke looked more shocked than before. "You're parents were murdered?"

Naruto nodded as he watched an odd expression take hold of Sasuke's features. It _almost _looked like sympathy, but that couldn't be right.

"Mine, too." Sasuke said, his gaze so focused on Naruto's face that Naruto felt a blush creeping up his neck and to his cheeks. He didn't like being an object of scrutiny.

"What do you mean, 'yours, too'?" Naruto asked, genuinely curious and slightly suspicious that maybe he was being fucked with. It wouldn't be the first time something like that had happened.

"They were murdered." Sasuke deadpanned, his expression had returned to that arrogant mask Naruto was growing used to. "When I was a kid."

"Oh." Naruto stared at Sasuke, wondering if he could trust that the words were true. He had no reason to believe Sasuke was trying to screw him over, but he'd been screwed over so often in the past that he usually couldn't help his disbelief.

But something compelled him to believe Sasuke.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly. And he truly meant it. He could relate to Sasuke on a new level, even without knowing the details of what had happened.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "I don't need your sympathy."

Naruto almost punched the mirror. Here he was trying to be nice, and Sasuke had to go and ruin it by being an asshole. Just when they'd found some common ground, too. "It's not sympathy. It's truth." He almost spat at Sasuke. "I am sorry your parents were murdered because I know what that feels like."

"Don't act like you understand me." Naruto could see the tension that had gripped Sasuke. The rigid way he held himself, the way his fists clenched as if he were about to lose it.

"I wasn't acting like I understand you." Naruto said slowly, not wanting to push the wrong button. Even though the idea of watching Sasuke explode was tempting. "I'm just saying I can relate to that aspect of your life."

Sasuke eyed Naruto for a moment, before relaxing. Naruto wondered if he was always so highly-strung, but chose not to ask. He figured their conversation was pretty much over, and was looking forward to crawling up in his bed and passing out, when Sasuke spoke again.

"So, this Gaara, he knows where your parents murderer is?"

Naruto marveled at Sasuke's curiosity, completely unable to grasp why it mattered to Sasuke in the least. "He thinks so. He got a lead from some guy named Itachi or something."

Naruto watched as Sasuke's eyes bulged and his jaw dropped.

"Itachi?" Sasuke manged to get out through his shock. "Itachi of the Akatsuki?"

How Sasuke knew that, Naruto had no idea. He nodded, completely confused.

"That's my brother."


	2. Tangible

**A/N - It's a bit shorter than the last chapter, but it's an update, right? Right?! XD This fic isn't beta'd, so ignore all of my annoying typos.  
**

**Disclaimer - Naruto belongs to the genius that is Kishimoto-sensei. There is no way I would be brilliant enough to think up a story about a bunch of twelve year olds playing ninja! ^.^  
**

* * *

"How is that possible?" Naruto asked. Sasuke stared at him blankly for a few moments, trying to sort out the possibilities himself. His heart rate had yet to return to normal and his breathing had picked up a bit, coming in a labored pants. He attempted to regain control of himself as his thoughts flew in every direction.

Itachi, was on the other side of a dimensional portal. This was impossible. Even scientists in Sasuke's dimension who devoted their lives to studying dimensional portals hadn't yet figured out a way to cross them.

Yet here life was, disputing the fact.

There were only two possibilities. One, that Itachi really was somehow jumping back and forth between dimensions. Sasuke's mind agreed and disagreed with this option. His brother was a genius, that was undeniable. But was he that smart? Sasuke didn't know.

But it would explain all of those mysterious phone calls from his cold-hearted elder brother. All the time's Sasuke had asked 'Where are you?' and Itachi had simply responded with the word 'Traveling'. Never divulging any more information than that.

There was also the fact that he and Naruto seemed to be talking about the same Itachi. Itachi of the underground criminal organization Akatsuki. No matter how ignorant Itachi tried to keep Sasuke of his affairs, Sasuke had pieced enough together to know his brother wasn't exactly involved in legal activities.

Option two was that there were two Itachi's. Figuratively, this would make sense. Two dimensions of the same world meant two versions of the same people within those worlds. Meaning there was two of Sasuke himself, the one he knew and one in Naruto's world, and that there were also two Naruto's. The one in the mirror and the one in Sasuke's own world.

Sasuke's head was starting to hurt just thinking about it.

"Sasuke?" Naruto was looking at him with curious eyes through the mirror. His blonde hair was slightly disheveled and he looked paler than usual. That probably had something to do with him just being sick.

Sasuke sighed. "As far as I can tell," He said slowly, trying to figure out how to word it so Naruto could understand. "There are only two possibilities."

He explained the entire thing, Naruto's eyes widening slightly here and there. When Sasuke got to the point about here being two of them, Naruto interrupted. "Wait," The blonde ran a hand through his hair and scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "So your saying I'm in your world, too?"

"Yes." Sasuke said, rather impatiently. "Just like there is probably another version of me wandering around in yours."

Sasuke watched Naruto blink a few times, as if trying to absorb the information. "So..." Comprehension seemed to come slowly to the blonde. "I could randomly run into you one day, but it wouldn't be _you_. And the you here wouldn't know _me_."

"Exactly." Sasuke confirmed. Naruto nodded and then sighed.

"So which do you think is more likely?" Naruto asked, staring at Sasuke as if he had all the answers. The look on Naruto's face made him uncomfortable. He'd never been looked at with such obvious trust before. Sasuke fought the urge to fidget.

"I think..." Sasuke took a deep breath. He wasn't quite ready to admit this to himself yet. "I think it's the same Itachi."

"But you said that was impossible." Naruto pointed out. Sasuke scowled.

"I know I did. But it makes more sense than the other theory."

"I don't really see how." Naruto shrugged at him, but the trusting look was still there in his eyes. "But whatever you say."

Sasuke almost cringed at this. He didn't deserve that kind of trust from anyone, least of all the blonde. Sasuke had few rules in life, but the most important one was simple. Do not trust or be trusted. He'd learned his lessons the hard way.

Barriers were built for a reason.

"So what do we do about it?" Naruto asked. Sasuke huffed, getting annoyed at the way Naruto expected him to have all of the answers. "I mean, your brother is hopping from your dimension to mine and seems to know my parents murderer. And from the looks of it, you really don't get along well with your brother. Should I ask Gaara to track him down?"

Sasuke's eyes widened a bit at the idea. Dragging Itachi back by force? Against his will? Catching him in the middle of his own game?

Sasuke liked the sound of that. Very much.

But it wasn't possible, so he just shook his head. "Just leave it be." He deadpanned. Naruto tilted his head as he stared at Sasuke, puzzled. "And if you see anyone who looks like me, but older, runaway." Sasuke thought for a minute. "Actually, if you see anyone who looks like me at all, just run away. It wouldn't do for you to run into the other me and make an idiot of yourself."

Naruto bristled at the insult and Sasuke fought the urge to smirk. There was something fun about getting the blonde riled up. Much to Sasuke's dismay, Naruto took a deep breath and seemed to get a grip on his emotions.

"Whatever." He said, his eyes on Sasuke's face. "So, what's going on between you and this brother anyways?"

It was Sasuke's turn to bristle. The question was far to personal for his liking. Immediately defensive, he locked his impassive mask back on his face. "That is none of your concern." He said, sounding as indifferent as he could manage.

Naruto held up a hand in surrender. "Whatever you say, _teme_. I was just asking." Naruto ran his hand through his hair again, drawing Sasuke's attention to it. He idly wondered if Naruto did that often when he was under stress. The messy locks fell in all directions, a few falling over Naruto's bright navy eyes. The tones of his hair seemed to change from bright blonde to a deep honey color as the light reflected off of it. Sasuke was almost compelled to touch it, to hold Naruto's head still and find out if it was actually changing colors or if they were natural highlights.

He brushed the inclination aside.

"I'm going to contact the technicians about moving the portal later on today." He told Naruto. He watched surprise flit across Naruto's features, and then something else couldn't recognize. It wasn't exactly disappointment, but that seemed close enough. "Then neither of us will have to worry about this."

Naruto nodded. "Okay." He said. Sasuke sighed, and figuring their conversation was pretty much done, picked up his toothbrush to resume what he had been doing. Naruto stared at him a few more seconds before shutting off the light of his bathroom. Sasuke had thought he had left, so he was surprised when he heard a quiet.

"Goodnight, _teme_." It was so unexpected that Sasuke's jaw hung uselessly for a few seconds, toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. He spat his toothpaste out and closed his eyes against an odd feeling that was starting to form in his chest.

"Goodnight, _dobe_."

* * *

"Shikamaru" Sasuke nudged the boy with the end of his pen, rousing him from his slumber slightly. He rolled his eyes, annoyed at having to repeat himself. "Shikamaru, get up."

"What?" Shikamaru grunted. They were sitting in the middle of class, waiting for the teacher to show up. Students around them were talking and laughing loudly, which usually annoyed Sasuke. But not today. Today he was on a mission. He needed some answers from Shikamaru, and he needed them before Sakura showed up.

Because if Sakura found out, she wouldn't leave him alone about it.

"What do you know about dimensional portals?" Sasuke asked, pleased when Shikamaru actually lifted his head off of his desk to stare at him lazily.

"Some." He yawned and sat up all the way, stretching his arms. "Why?"

"Tell me what you know about traveling between them." Sasuke demanded. Shikamaru eyed him curiously for a few seconds and Sasuke grimaced. He knew that in order to get answers from Shikamaru, he had to give a few answers of his own.

"Does this have anything to do with how weird you've been acting lately?" Shikamaru asked, sounding disinterested.

Sasuke just nodded. Verbalizing his answers would only lead to more questions. Shikamaru stared at him for a few moments before sighing.

"Theoretically, jumping between portals is supposed to be impossible. But there are quite a few people who claim otherwise."

"Meaning?" Sasuke asked impatiently.

"Meaning there are people out there who believe they have found ways to jump from portal to portal. There are tons of theories on how it's done, but almost none that I've read are plausible. Only two or three seemed credible."

"What are they?" Sasuke's stomach flipped over. His eyes widened as he realized it was in excitement. When was the last time he had felt excited? He put an arm around his stomach, the blue cloth of his t-shirt grew warm from body heat almost instantly.

"The only one I personally believe is the one about destroying them. People claim that if you destroy a link that connects to a dimensional portal, the portal is left behind unchecked without the barrier to confine it. It's why the government relocates them instead of blowing them off the map. I don't think it has much to do with that 'preserving natural science' crap they try to feed us."

"So if you destroy, you can go through it?" Sasuke asked. For once, he was actually pleased with Shikamaru's genius. Generally, the boy just got on his nerves when he was over-observant. Right now, Sasuke was willing to forgive all that for the sake of the information he was getting.

"Supposedly." Shikamaru was staring at him again, and eyebrow raised in a silent question. Sasuke sighed. "Have encountered a dimensional portal?" Shikamaru asked.

Sasuke nodded. Non-verbal answers, non-verbal answers.

"Where?" Shikamaru actually looked interested now, which was rare for the genius. He had an IQ high enough to build a working time-machine, but he was usually too bored to use it.

Sasuke debated ignoring the question a few seconds, before caving. Shikamaru was his friend, and as he was answering Sasuke's questions, he had the right to know.

"In my bathroom." He deadpanned. Shikamaru's eyes widened minutely at that, then he blinked a couple of times, as if to clear his head.

"Are you sure it's a dimensional portal?" Sasuke nodded again. He opened his mouth to give the explanation before Shikamaru even asked for it.

"Positive. It connects to my apartment in another dimension. There's a blonde boy name Naruto who keeps showing up on the other side of the mirror."

"What are you guys talking about?" Sasuke and Shikamaru both jumped at the sound of Sakura's voice. She sat down behind Shikamaru, slinging her pink bag over the back of her chair and leaned her head on her hand, tilting it in interest.

Sasuke opened his mouth, but couldn't think of anything to say.

"Sasuke was just telling me about a pornographic dream he had last night. Something to do with boy showing up in his mirror. I'm reassuring him about his sexuality."

Sasuke glared daggers at Shikamaru. Sakura gaped at him for a few seconds before busting up laughing. "Oh, that's funny." She clutched her side as she doubled over. "Sasuke-kun? Gay? Like _that _would ever happen!"

Sasuke grimaced at that as tears practically streamed out of Sakura's eyes. His sexuality did not need to be a topic of conversation. He shifted around his head for a change of subject.

"Sakura, what kind of perfume do you wear?" He blurted the first thing that came to mind. The scent of her perfume had filled his nostrils from the second she'd sat down. He could already feel it giving him a headache.

Sakura's eyes widened at the attention and then a vapid grin spread across her face. She flipped her bubble-gum pink hair over her shoulder and leaned forward, opening her mouth to answer.

Sasuke could have groaned. Once Sakura opened her mouth, she never shut it.

Non-verbal communication was definitely the key to making it through life.

* * *

Naruto sat on Shino's couch with his mouth open, staring at the television. Kiba and Shino were on the floor, playing a video game. Naruto was attempting to catch up on homework, but he kept getting distracted.

Shino had just used a particularly difficult combo and decapitated Kiba's character. Naruto bit his lip, debating whether or not to play with them or finish his homework.

"You've been playing without me!" Kiba accused, glaring at Shino. Shino just shrugged his shoulders and returned his attention to television.

"You gonna play?" Kiba smiled at Naruto and offered him the controller. Naruto contemplated it for a few seconds before shaking his head.

"Nah, I've got to get some homework done or I'm gonna flunk out."

Kiba snorted. "Things have got to be bad when your grades are worse then mine." Naruto rolled his eyes and threw his pencil at Kiba. Kiba retaliated by sticking his tongue out at Naruto. Naruto was surprised when Shino turned to regard him with a cool expression.

"Have you heard anything more from Gaara?" He asked. Naruto glared at Kiba, who looked away. He hadn't told Shino about the thing with his parents yet. He hadn't been sure if he wanted more people finding out. It looked like Kiba had solved the problem for him.

"No." He said shortly, pulling another pen out his orange back pack and leaning over his textbook. "Not since that night at the bar."

Shino nodded before turning back to the video game. He and Kiba played six more rounds before they finally shut it off. Kiba wandered into Shino's kitchen. Shino silently got up to follow him. It was an unspoken rule that Kiba was not allowed to cook alone. Last summer he almost started Ino's house on fire after a party.

Naruto sighed and threw his pencil down. He'd finished three of his assignments and had five left to do. He stretched and laid back on Shino's couch, closing his eyes.

Naruto had been debating whether or not to tell his friends about the dimensional portal in his bathroom. He felt like he needed to tell _someone. _The situation was too overbearing to handle on his own. But after Kiba's slip about Gaara he wasn't sure he could trust the brunette to keep his mouth shut.

He wondered idly why Sasuke has been so closed off about the topic of his brother. Naruto had never seen him so defensive before. Which was saying something, as Sasuke always seemed to be defensive.

Curiosity had always been a problem of Naruto's. When he wanted to know, he wanted to know. He didn't just forget about it, it bothered him until he had an answer. He knew that pushing Sasuke to talk about it would only lead to disaster, but it kept tugging on Naruto's thoughts and distracting him when he tried to concentrate.

Naruto drifted off with his thoughts completely absorbed by theories of what could have happened between Sasuke and his criminal brother.

* * *

By the time Naruto woke up, it was three in the morning. His neck hurt from the way he had been laying on the couch and he could already feel the beginnings of a headache as he pulled himself into sitting position. The living room was dark. Naruto assumed that Kiba had already gone home and Shino had gone to bed.

With a quiet groan, he piled his books into his bag. He fished his keys out of it before slinging it around his shoulder and leaving Shino's house as quietly as he possibly could.

It was quiet outside, which was to be expected at three in the morning. Naruto knew from many nights of partying the three in the morning was when the world was most silent. There was no life on the streets of Konoha except the flickering of orange street lights and constant humming of electrical wires that connected telephone pole to telephone pole.

Shino's apartment was located near the west side of campus. Naruto's was directly on the other side, so he only had to walk a few blocks and he'd be home. Then he could curl up in bed and go back to sleep. He wouldn't have to deal with the headache waking up at such an odd hour had given him. A shower would have been nice, but he didn't think he could face dealing with Sasuke right now.

He had too many questions.

Naruto cut across one of the dorm parking lots. Cars were scattered here and there, but there were more vacant spots than taken ones. Konoha was a small town, not many people felt the need to drive when they could just walk a few blocks in any direction and be in the center of town.

Something caught Naruto's eyes and he turned toward the source of movement. Next to a black BMW only a few feet away stood a boy in a white button down t-shirt. He was pulling something out of the trunk and Naruto noticed the strange cut of his hair, familiar set of his shoulders...

"Sasuke?" Naruto blurted before he could stop himself. The boy's head jerked up and his eyes narrowed suspiciously. Naruto mentally slapped himself. This is exactly what Sasuke had warned him about.

But Naruto felt shell shocked. To see Sasuke standing in front of him, glaring and scowling did something strange to his heartbeat. He was there, he was _tangible. _Naruto could reach out and touch him if he wanted to.

Not that he did.

And the fact that the Sasuke in his dimension was so close to him was almost _too _perfect. As if fate had set up the entire thing and was now laughing in his face.

Naruto looked into Sasuke's icy black eyes and felt lost. He didn't know what to do in this situation, what to say or how to fix it.

"Who are you?" Sasuke demanded.

Naruto bit his lip as his instincts took over. He turned on his heel and ran in the direction of Shino's apartment, leaving the doppleganger behind him.


	3. The Traveler

**A/N - I know most of you are anxious for the next chapter of Kekkei Genkai, but this fic needed some love. I'll update the others soon as well, so be patient. ^.^**

**Unbeta'd, so ignore the typos.**

**Disclaimer - If I owned Naruto, I wouldn't change much. Other than adding in some steamy scenes between Naruto and Sasuke, and paring up Kakashi with Sakura, and turning Itachi into a lovable teddy bear and making Akamaru into elephant....It would be exactly the same.  
**

* * *

Naruto stared at Kiba and Shino anxiously. Kiba's mouth was open and his eyes disbelieving. Shino looked as calm as ever, but there was something about his gaze that set Naruto on edge. He leaned into Shino's couch and let his head fall back, exhausted from recounting the mess that had become his life.

The silence thickened before Kiba finally broke it.

"So you've got a dude from some alternate dimension in your bathroom mirror?" He deadpanned. Naruto just closed his eyes and nodded. He'd decided to tell Kiba and Shino everything after his run in with the Sasuke-That-Wasn't-Sasuke. He needed someone to talk to about it, it was becoming too much to handle on his own. Kiba and Shino were more likely to believe him than an adult, otherwise he'd have told Iruka.

More silence. Then Kiba spoke again. "You're not kidding, right?"

Naruto rolled his eyes and sat up, running a hand through his hair. "Why would I joke about this, Kiba? Do you think I want some dude in my mirror? And then want to run into that dude who is supposed to be impossible to run into on campus? Only it's not the same guy?" Naruto's face was red by the end of his rant and Kiba held up his hands in surrender.

"What did the other...what's his name?"

"Sasuke."

"Yeah, what did the other Sasuke do when he saw you?" Kiba looked like he was just humoring Naruto, but Naruto ignored it. He'd prove it to Kiba soon enough.

"He didn't really have time to do anything." Naruto sighed. "The second I realized what I'd done, I came straight back here."

"Good." Naruto looked up, surprised at Shino's sudden participation in the conversation. "If you had stayed, things would have gotten bad very fast."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked accusingly. That sounded a lot like what Sasuke had said to him about making an idiot of himself.

"Did you have an excuse to give? A way to explain the situation?" Shino's voice was flat as he stared at Naruto through his sunglasses. His arms were crossed across his jacket-clad chest and he was completely relaxed on his love seat, feet up on the coffee table. Kiba gaped at Shino.

"You're not saying you believe him?" Kiba sounded incredulous. Shino turned slightly toward Kiba and was quiet for a few seconds.

"It is like Naruto said. What reason does he have to lie?" Kiba fidgeted under Shino's cold stare. Naruto was surprised. He had figured Shino would be the one he had to convince. "Naruto is our friend, and I trust him. You should too."

Naruto didn't miss the way Kiba fidgeted uncomfortably. Part of him was hurt by Kiba's behavior, but mostly he was too mentally tired to care.

"Look," Naruto interrupted. "I'll prove it to you guys. All I have to do is take you to my apartment." Naruto hesitated, thinking for a moment. "But can we wait a couple of days? I need a break from all of this sci-fi crap."

Shino nodded his agreement and Naruto was pleased to see that Kiba actually looked ashamed of himself. Naruto laid back on the couch again and closed his eyes, ready to sleep.

"Naruto?" Naruto cracked an eye open and looked blearily at Shino. "Just to let you know, I have Sasuke it two of my classes, so he definitely goes to Konoha University. Be careful around campus."

Naruto just nodded as he drifted off to sleep, wondering idly how to tell Sasuke that he'd met the other him.

* * *

Sasuke was aggravated, which wasn't unusual. He hadn't been able to get a hold of anyone from the government to talk about relocating the portal. He'd left his name and number with the automated service he'd had to sit through for an hour, pressing one or two whenever it asked a question. Now, Sasuke wasn't a people person, but he would rather talk to a live person than a machine that just seemed to take him in circles.

But that was only one of the things irritating him. The main thing was the blonde. Or lack thereof.

He hadn't seen Naruto in three days. Every time he went into the bathroom, the bathroom displayed opposite his was black and empty. At first he had been relieved at Naruto's absence. Now he was worried.

Where had the blonde gotten off to? Did it have something to do with his parents? Had that Gaara guy found them? Or was it something to do with Itachi? He was beginning to come up with outrageous scenarios in his mind regarding Naruto's absence.

And then he would chide himself for it, not understanding at all why he cared.

Shikamaru had come to Sasuke's apartment after school the day Sasuke had told him about the portal. The genius had actually volunteered to go and check it out, much to Sasuke's surprise. He'd never seen the lazy bastard show so much enthusiasm toward anything.

From what Shikamaru had told Sasuke, Naruto's dimension was only a few years behind theirs technology wise. Scientifically, it was about fifty years behind. How the genius had gotten all of that from looking into a dark and vacant bathroom, Sasuke had no idea.

Sasuke bit his lip nervously as he stared up at the large building in front of him. It was constructed of gray brick and gave him an eerie feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He hated having to come here. But it was necessary. He needed to know more about what was going on.

That didn't stop the chill from running up his spine as he rounded the alley and headed toward the back entrance.

Once inside, he completely ignored the secretary at the front desk and turned down a narrow hallway. He didn't look back at her when she shouted after him that he wasn't allowed to go that way. He made another right and found himself in front of a large wooden door. Taking a deep breath, he opened it and wasn't to surprise to see exactly who he was looking for sitting at the large desk in the center of his room with his nose in a book.

"Kakashi." The silver haired man didn't look up until Sasuke said his name. When he did his eyes widened slightly before closing in a smile.

"Sasuke," Kakashi set the book aside and clasped his hands together in front of him. "I'm surprised. You never willingly come see me. What brings you here?"

"Information." Sasuke said flatly.

* * *

Naruto unlocked the door to his apartment and took a deep breath before walking inside, Kiba and Shino on his heels. It had been three days since he'd been home, and as far as he was concerned, that wasn't long enough. He could have lived at Shino's apartment forever if it meant he didn't have to explain the current situation to Sasuke.

Naruto flicked on the living room light and tossed his bag on the couch. He saw Kiba do the same from the corner of his eye, but ignored it. The silence that filled the air was grating on his nerves, but he didn't know what to say. Right now, Kiba didn't even believe him and the only way to change that was by proving it.

Naruto didn't really want to see Sasuke. He didn't know how to tell the raven that he'd done exactly what he'd promised he wouldn't do. He knew Sasuke would be upset, maybe even angry with him and Naruto didn't feel like letting his mirror yell at him all night. All he really wanted to do was curl up in his bed and go to sleep. Maybe by the time he woke up, it would all just turn into some weird dream and his life would go back to normal.

Naruto turned on his bathroom light before slowly going inside. He could feel Kiba hovering near his right shoulder and Shino's silent presence behind that. The mirror opposite his was dark, making his own appear pitch black. He turned to the other two.

"Is that good enough for you, or do you need more proof?" He directed at Kiba, who was staring at the black mirror with comically wide eyes.

"Why is it black?" He asked. Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Because the light over there is off, idiot." Naruto glanced at Shino who was staring at the black mirror with interest, but there was no surprise on his face. What Naruto could see through the high collar and sunglasses, anyways.

"Oh." Kiba said lamely. "Didn't you say there was someone _in _your mirror? I don't see anyone."

Naruto rolled his eyes again. "Yeah, well, he's obviously not in the bathroom right now. That doesn't mean he's not there."

Suddenly, the mirror that they were all focusing on brightened as the light came on in the other bathroom. Naruto could have groaned. He had been relieved when Sasuke hadn't been there. He didn't want to talk to the raven right now.

The look on Kiba's face was hilarious as the raven walked into their view. His jaw had dropped and his eyes were so wide they looked like they'd fall out of his head.

"I told you." Naruto said, slightly smug. Kiba looked at him in amazement and Naruto just shrugged his shoulders. It is what it is.

"What are you doing, _dobe_?" Naruto tensed at the sound of Sasuke's voice and looked back in the mirror. The raven was regarding him with narrowed, suspicious eyes and a sour look. Naruto marveled at how he could still look threatening when he'd clearly just rolled out of bed. His dark hair was sticking up all over the place.

"Sasuke." Naruto finally said. "This is Kiba and Shino." He gestured to them in turn. "They're my friends."

Naruto hadn't thought about whether Sasuke would be angry with him telling other people about the portal, because he honestly didn't care. It was Naruto's life, Naruto's bathroom, Naruto's mirror, so it was Naruto's choice if he wanted to tell his friends.

"And why are they here?" Sasuke demanded, crossing his arms over his bare chest and examining the other two. Naruto smirked when Kiba started to fidget.

"Because I told them about the dimensional thing." Naruto explained. "And they wanted proof that I hadn't lost my mind."

"Hn." Sasuke shifted his glared to Naruto and raised an eyebrow in question. Naruto sighed, understanding that expression more than he'd like to.

"Okay, well now that I've proved myself," Naruto looked from Kiba to Shino, but both were still looking at the mirror. "Would you guys please get out? I have to talk to Sasuke."

Shino was the first one to respond, as Kiba was transfixed by the mirror. Shino grabbed Kiba by his collar and lugged him out of the bathroom. Naruto could still hear Kiba complaining noisily as he shut the door behind them and turned to face the mirror again.

"Where have you been?" The demanding tone in Sasuke's voice caught Naruto by surprise. Naruto bit his lip as the raven glowered at him.

"I was at Shino's." He explained. "He let me stay with him for a while."

"Why?" Sasuke's tone was authoritative and it irritated Naruto. Who did Sasuke thing he was? Naruto was an adult, he could do what he want when he wanted.

And then it hit him.

"Sasuke, were you worried about me?" He could keep the incredulity out of his voice.

"No." Sasuke deadpanned. Naruto didn't miss the way his eye twitched when he said that. The raven was lying.

"Aww." Naruto couldn't help it. The raven had shown weakness and that was fair game for mocking. "I'm so touched I don't know what to do with myself."

"Shut up." Sasuke snapped. "You mind telling me _why _you just disappeared for three days? Or did you just feel like having a sleepover?"

The smirk slid off of Naruto's face at that. "To avoid you." Naruto finally answered. He didn't miss the way Sasuke's entire body tensed and hurried to explain. "I did something that is probably going to make you mad."

Naruto vaguely wondered why he cared if Sasuke was upset with him in the first place.

"What?" Sasuke's body relaxed with Naruto's explanation and his arms hung limply at his sides. Naruto licked his lips.

"Do you remember," He began slowly, as if delivering the news that way would make Sasuke less angry with him. "When we talked about the other you?"

Sasuke's eyes widened as realization crashed over his face. "What did you do?" He demanded, tone icy.

"Well, I was leaving Shino's apartment," Naruto's words were rushed now. He wanted to get this over with and get away from the raven as soon as possible. "And walking home the other night, there was someone in the dorm parking lot. It was the other you."

"And?"

"And I may have, kind of, called out to him?" Naruto said sheepishly, a tentative smile on his face. "It was an accident, I didn't even realize what I was doing."

To Naruto's surprise, Sasuke didn't break out into a rage and start yelling at him. Not that he could imagine the stoic raven yelling. Sasuke sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked tired, even though he just woke up and Naruto felt slightly guilty for worrying the raven.

"And then what?" Sasuke asked finally. His tone was as tired as he looked and Naruto grimaced as the guilt in his chest got a little stronger.

"And then nothing. I ran away, like you told me to." Naruto watched the raven nod as he took in that information and got the strangest urge to give the other boy a hug. He looked so fragile and defenseless with his hair sticking up all over the place and the bags under his eyes. Naruto grimaced at the impulse. Sasuke sighed.

"You were avoiding me because of that?" The raven took a few steps closer to the mirror and look Naruto dead in the eye. Naruto fought the urge to look away, surprised by the gentle tone in Sasuke's voice.

Naruto shrugged noncommittally. He didn't know what to say. Sasuke leaned forward until his face was extremely close. The only thing stopping their noses from touch was the layer of glass between them.

"Idiot." Sasuke sounded amused, much to Naruto's chagrin. This was not the reaction he had been expecting. Naruto didn't even know what kind of reaction this was.

"You're not mad?" Naruto found himself relived, though he didn't know why. It wasn't like the raven's temper particularly mattered to him.

"I expected you to make a fool of yourself if the situation ever came up, and you didn't disappoint."

Naruto bristled and Sasuke smirked at him, black eyes alight with humor. "Stop treating me like an idiot, _teme_!"

Sasuke's smirk grew wider as Naruto turned on his heel and left the bathroom. There was a small smile on the blonde's face as well.

* * *

Things became relatively calm in the next few weeks. Kiba had apologized to Naruto for being a bastard and Naruto had, of course, forgiven him. There were no more run ins with the Sasuke-That-Wasn't-Sasuke, much to Naruto's relief. He hadn't heard anything from Gaara either, but didn't think too long on it. Gaara could take care of himself, Naruto knew that.

He and Sasuke were getting along better. Naruto was surprised to actually find himself having conversations with the raven from time to time. Then the surprise faded and then it was just _normal _to encounter Sasuke in the bathroom. He'd gotten used to it.

And apparently, so had Sasuke. Things fell into a casual routine. Because it was kind of hard not to be casual when you'd seen the other person naked.

If Sasuke was in the bathroom when Naruto was, they'd say 'hey' and go about their business as if it was totally normal to have another person in their mirror. Occasionally they'd talk.

Naruto had found out that Sasuke was being groomed to become the next head of the company his parents had left behind. Originally it was supposed to be Itachi's position, but the other Uchiha had rejected the job completely.

Naruto had once come across Sasuke's friend Shikamaru in the bathroom. The brunette hadn't seemed the least bit surprised to see him there, so Naruto assumed Sasuke had told Shikamaru about the dimensional portal already.

Naruto had learned that Sasuke was constantly being harassed by a girl named Sakura when he happened into the bathroom to find Sasuke on a cell phone. Apparently the girl annoyed the raven to no end, which Naruto found amusing.

Naruto sighed and closed his textbook, stuffing it into his bag. Classes were finally done for the day, much to his relief. He'd managed to catch up in school with the help of Shino, so that was one less thing for him to worry about.

"You wanna go to the bar today?" Kiba asked as they exited their classroom. It was customary for them to go out drinking on Friday nights, but Naruto was tired. He'd stayed up most of the previous night studying for the final he'd just had to take.

"Nah, I'm gonna go home and pass out." Kiba just nodded and bid Naruto farewell before taking off in the direction of the dorms.

Naruto left the building and started across campus toward his apartment. There were students everywhere, laughing loudly with their friends or sitting under trees with their noses in books. He smiled to himself. He loved college, regardless of how badly he may do in his classes. It made him feel like he was a part of something, like he belonged. No one judged him here, at least not for anything involving his past.

Naruto decided to stop at the library before he went home. He liked it in there. The walls were lined with old books and everything was quiet and peaceful. Even if he didn't read much, he would go to the library often. It was his favorite place on campus.

It was silent inside of the library. There was almost no one there apart from himself and the librarian. He wandered aimlessly through the shelves, looking for something that might catch his interest. Eventually, he settled on a book with a bright orange cover and turned to leave.

That was when he found himself slammed against the nearest bookshelf with a raven haired boy staring down at him angrily.

It was Sasuke.

Well fuck.

"Let me go." Naruto demanded, trying to push the arm Sasuke had pressed against his throat away. He had to get out of there. He had absolutely no explanation to give the Sasuke-That-Wasn't-Sasuke as to how he knew him.

"You mind telling me how you know my name?" The raven leaned in close to Naruto, his black eyes suspicious as they looked into Naruto's panicked blue ones. Naruto noticed vaguely that this Sasuke smelled like coffee and cigarettes. He wondered idly if that was how his Sasuke smelled too.

When Naruto didn't answer, Sasuke pressed his arm harder into his throat. Naruto coughed against the uncomfortable pressure placed on his Adams apple.

"As far as I can recall," Sasuke continued, his tone low and seething. Naruto wondered why his worlds Sasuke seemed so suspicious of people. "We've never met before. Who sent you?"

Naruto raised his eyebrows at that, completely confused. "No one." He said truthfully. "Let me go, dammit!"

"Not until you tell me how it is that you know me." One of Sasuke's bangs was touching Naruto's nose. It tickled and Naruto fought the urge to sneeze. This entire situation was getting much too surreal for his liking.

Sasuke pressed him harder to the bookcase and Naruto searched his mind desperately for some excuse he could give. He blurted out the first plausible thing that came to mind.

"I like you." He deadpanned. The Sasuke-That-Wasn't-Sasuke raised his eyebrows at that and Naruto wanted to kick himself for coming up with such a stupid lie.

"You...like me?" Sasuke repeated, his entire body relaxing. He removed his hands from Naruto slowly as he looked at the blonde quizzically, as if trying to figure out whether or not he was lying. Naruto looked down at his hands, which were gripping the hem of his orange hoody and wished he could just disappear as a blush rolled over his cheeks.

Finally, he took a deep breath and looked the fake Sasuke dead in the eye. "Yeah. I like you." His voice came out stronger than he expected it to as he lied. "I've liked you for like six months now. My friend Shino has a class with you and he told me your name. That's how I know it."

Sasuke stared at him for a few more seconds before he finally sighed. Naruto's entire body relaxed when Sasuke's did and he bit his lip, wondering how quickly he could make an escape when Sasuke spoke.

"You're my type." The raven said idly as he looked Naruto up and down. Naruto's jaw dropped.

* * *

Hinata braced herself as she stuck her arm out, seemingly in thin air. She wasn't surprised when the rest of her body was yanked forward and the immense pressure she was used to pressed at her from all sides. She squeezed her eyes shut against the bright reams of color that surrounded her as body was tugged forward.

She hated doing this.

Then, as quickly as it had started, it ended. Hinata toppled forward, barely getting her hands out in time to brace herself as she connected with the cement. He knees connected painfully with the pavement and she flinched, wishing she'd worn a pair of jeans that didn't have holes in them today.

"Hinata." Hinata looked up at the sound of the voice and a small smile spread over her face as she took the hand that was offered to her. The brunette boy pulled her to her feet with a smirk on his face.

"Neji-nii-san." She greeted casually. His smirk widened into a grin at the sound of his name. He didn't let go of her hand as he turned and led her out of the alleyway. Hinata took a deep breath and let the familiar smells of her own dimension fill her nostrils. It had been too long since she'd come home.

"Where are we going?" She asked, falling in step beside Neji so he didn't have to pull her forward anymore. He still didn't let go of her hand, instead, his tightened around hers. She was curious as to why she'd been called back so abruptly. Normally she only came back to her own dimension once a month to check in at headquarters.

"To see Kakashi."

* * *

**A/N - And the plot thickens. In case you guys are confused, Hinata is not meeting with the Neji in her and Naruto's dimension. She is now in Sasuke's. Reviews are loved, but no pressure. **


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